Dunedin logs 178 sunny days a year to Wellington's 226 — Wellington wins by 48. Dunedin and Wellington match on outdoor-dinner months (0 vs 0).

Dunedin runs about $2,135/mo for a balanced lifestyle against Wellington's $2,666/mo — Dunedin comes in $531 cheaper each month, roughly 25% less.

On mobility, Wellington scores 3.0 vs Dunedin's 1.4 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on airport accessibility. Dunedin still holds an edge on car efficiency.

Wellington's culture score of 2.6 sits well above Dunedin's 2.0, with the biggest gap on live music venues. Dunedin still holds an edge on nightlife.

Wellington's nature & outdoors score of 4.3 sits well above Dunedin's 4.0, with the biggest gap on sea access. Dunedin still holds an edge on rock climbing.

Dunedin's safety score of 4.4 sits well above Wellington's 3.9, with the biggest gap on walking safety. Wellington still holds an edge on property crime safety.

Wellington's career score of 2.9 sits well above Dunedin's 2.0, with the biggest gap on career opportunities.

Wellington's social & community score is ~1.3× Dunedin's — in the upper band, while Dunedin lands in the middle of the scale, with the biggest gap on multicultural mix. Dunedin still holds an edge on expat integration experience.

On food & dining, Wellington scores 3.6 vs Dunedin's 1.6 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on restaurant variety.

On family, Wellington scores 2.9 vs Dunedin's 1.9 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on yoga studios.

On healthcare, Wellington scores 3.0 vs Dunedin's 2.7 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on private healthcare quality.

Dunedin averages 5.7 µg/m³ (good) PM2.5 annually versus Wellington's 6.2 µg/m³ (good) — Dunedin breathes ~8% cleaner air (0.5 µg/m³ lower).

Who Thrives Here